


Propriety

by yeaka



Category: Star Trek, Star Trek: Voyager
Genre: Alternate Universe - Role Reversal, F/M, Gen, Vignette
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-06
Updated: 2019-11-06
Packaged: 2021-01-24 02:35:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 672
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21330862
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yeaka/pseuds/yeaka
Summary: Captain B’Elanna struggles with certain rules.
Relationships: Tom Paris/B'Elanna Torres
Comments: 2
Kudos: 21





	Propriety

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I don’t own Star Trek, Get Smart, or any of their contents, and I’m not making any money off this.

B’Elanna looks up from her desk when her first officer strolls into her ready room, the door sliding slickly shut again to seal them both off. B’Elanna knows that any private matters they discuss won’t leave the four walls around them, and she trusts Command Janeway to be discreet, but a small part of her still tenses up. When Kathryn sits down across from her, B’Elanna imagines a special, secret-shield bubbling around them—‘the cone of silence’, as Tom would say. Kathryn can probably tell from the way she’s stalling that this isn’t about normal ship’s business.

B’Elanna folds her hands over her desk, looks down at them, sucks in a breath, and snaps her gaze back up. She just comes out and says it: “What do you think about a captain sleeping with her underlings?”

Kathryn lifts a brow and snorts good-naturedly. Then her smile slowly fades, probably because B’Elanna’s frowning, and she says, “Oh. You’re serious.”

“Well, _underling_,” B’Elanna corrects. Singular. Because she’s pretty sure Kathryn’s already figured it out, she provides, “A pilot. A lieutenant pilot.”

Kathryn stares at her. It’s agitating. B’Elanna bursts, “I _know_ it’s against regulation, I get it—it’s a serious breech of protocol, but we’re stranded in the middle of nowhere—we’ll probably all die before we ever see another human being outside this ship!” Or a Klingon. But B’Elanna wouldn’t sleep with one of those anyway—she has enough problems on her hands. “There have to be exceptions. We can’t expect the whole damn crew to be celibate for the rest of their lives or only sleep with people of the same rank. Sooner or later, some of us are going to have to start going down the ladder.” She doesn’t have a choice of staying on the same level—there _are_ no other captains.

Kathryn waits for a minute or two after B’Elanna’s stopped talking, then casually tells her, “Well, you’re the captain. It’s your decision.”

B’Elanna rolls her eyes. She sinks back into her chair and tries not to glare at the small smile on Kathryn’s face. She has to know she hasn’t been helpful. But realistically, there was nothing she could say anyway. B’Elanna knows the rules. It was her decision to uphold them, even so many light-years away from Starfleet. She listens to her first officer’s opinions, because Kathryn’s as talented an advisor as she is a friend, but at the end of the day, the ball’s in B’Elanna’s corner. She finally lets out a long sigh and asks, “Have you found anyone yet?” That would at least make her feel better.

Kathryn answers smoothly, “As a matter of fact, I have.”

That’s actually surprising—she thought she would’ve noticed. Possibilities instantly flood her mind, sorting all the most likely candidates. Chakotay, Seven, Harry, maybe even Tuvok. She’s slightly hurt Kathryn didn’t tell her, but then again, maybe it’s best to keep these things under wraps, at least until the captain makes an official ruling. 

When Kathryn doesn’t provide a name, B’Elanna asks, “Who?”

Kathryn chuckles. “You know I don’t kiss and tell.”

B’Elanna scowls. “C’mon, I’ve already told you I’m banging Tom.”

“With all due respect, Captain, I think _everyone_ knows you’re banging Tom.”

B’Elanna groans. Kathryn reaches across the desk to give her a sympathetic pat. It doesn’t help. What does help is Kathryn admitting, “Maybe it’s best to wave that particular rule, given our circumstances. It’s just not realistic going forward.”

B’Elanna nods. That’s _exactly_ what she wanted to hear. She knew Kathryn would come through. She says, “I’ll think about it,” even though she knows exactly what she’ll decide. She can at least _pretend_ she has the will power to follow the rules. Though she’s never been especially good at that. 

Her combadge beeps, and Tom’s charming voice informs her, _“We’re nearing the Mrennenimus system, Captain.”_

She answers, “On my way.”

As the two of them rise, she mentions, “This conversation never happened, of course.”

“Of course.”

They both head out to join their crew.


End file.
